Last Saturday over 150 Trade Unionists and local supporters marched from Hastings Pier to Robertson Street where a rally was held.

Hastings shows solidarity with essential workers

XR supporters and essential workers show solidarity for those on strike.

150 trade unionists and supporters marched through Hastings on Saturday 19 November. They were demanding pay rises in line with inflation and an end to the government’s austerity cuts. Representatives from the Royal College of Nursing, Fire Brigades Union, National Education Union and UNISON attacked the government’s financial statement for failing to address the cost of living emergency facing millions. The march and rally were organised by Hastings & District Trades Union Council.

Royal College of Nursing representative, Antonia Berelson said, “We fear that we cannot give the best care because of the pressures of a broken system. And the fact that there are just not enough staff. Nurses are still recovering from the trauma of Covid. Low pay is not just forcing nurses to leave, it’s forcing nurses to use food banks. We have been underpaid for 20 years and our profession has been pushed to the edge. We can no longer stand by and watch patients and staff suffer. We are understaffed, undervalued and underpaid – enough is enough.”

Local Fire Brigades Union representative, Leo Cacciatorre, said, “We are balloting for strike action. This is much more than about pay, it’s about the future of the fire service.”

Chair of Hastings Trades Union Council, Simon Hester, said, “This is a rich country. There is a record number of 177 billionaires in the UK with a combined wealth of £653 billion pounds. Their wealth was untouched by the government’s financial statement. We demand that the government tax the rich and the corporations to fund public services and inflation-plus pay rises. If they cannot do that they must go.”

NEU member Jenny said, “NEU are balloting for action because teachers’ pay has fallen by 20% since 2010, and Support staff pay by 27%. But we’re not just fighting for pay, we’re fighting for properly funded education, and we won’t accept pay awards coming out of school budgets – in 2023/4 East Sussex schools will get £123 less per child on average and in Hastings this will be £150 less per child. The Tories are setting up working class kids to fail and we need to fight for an education system that puts people before profit.”

Carrying a huge banner proclaiming “We All Want to Live”, local members of Extinction Rebellion chanted and marched with Trade Unionists.

XR protestor Lynne Salvage said:  “We support the strike actions 100%… direct, combined action by communities united in their determination to stop government policies that create food poverty for working people, allow private companies to pollute our water and have still not stopped granting new oil drilling licenses is all ordinary people can do to keep a future for our kids, grandchildren, plants and animals.”

Nurse and XR activist Jess Austen spoke about how climate change and global warming is directly related to an increase in pandemics.  The pressure on health practitioners will increase and stress related illness on an already underfunded, understaffed service will escalate. Suicide amongst nursing staff has soared since Covid and each new Pandemic will increase this pattern unless nursing pay and conditions improve enough for front line staff to afford the cost of living.

Strikes by essential workers including postal workers and rail workers are being organised between now and Christmas. Members of the public are welcomed by trade unions to show support for strikers by visiting picket lines.

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